Plans to Increase Pedestrian Safety in San Francisco

Rather than just sit back and ignore the tragedies that have afflicted pedestrians throughout San Francisco, city officials are finally making moves to make walking around this hilly California city safe. This is great news for locals and tourists alike, though the deadline of 2021 seems ludicrously far away for a safety measure.

As San Francisco celebrates the nation’s first Walk to Work Day today, Mayor Ed Lee will unveil a strategy that aims to cut in half the serious injuries and deaths of pedestrians by 2021.

The San Francisco Pedestrian Strategy will focus on 44 miles of roadway that are the most dangerous for walkers by having city agencies approach pedestrian safety, including infrastructure upgrades and enforcement, in a holistic way, said Gillian Gillett, the Mayor’s Office director of transportation policy.

The strategy came after many city agencies — including the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and the Police, Public Health and Public Works departments — held meetings at which they shared information and statistics.